Chemistry
An alternative periodic table of elements focusing on highly charged ions reveals new science that could support the quest for more accurate optical atomic clocks
By Chris Simms
A periodic table of highly charged ions
Chunhai Lyu et al. (2025)
A new version of the periodic table of elements has predicted hundreds of highly charged ions that could be used to create the next generation of optical atomic clocks.
The periodic table, first invented by Dmitri Mendeleev in 1869, groups the 118 known chemical elements according to their chemical properties. Because elements in the same parts of the periodic table share similar characteristics, this ordering enabled chemists to identify gaps in the table decades ago, and has since helped discover the elements to fill them.
